Smalley’s Inn & Restaurant
January 15th, 2024
Night
Left: Photo of James J. Smalley c. 1850’s. Photo credit: Marisa Chute for findagrave.com.
History of James J. Smalley and the Inn
In 1852, in Carmel, New York, a local bricklayer decided to go into business for himself, and open a stagecoach stop and Inn. The man’s name was James J. Smalley. The Hotel was called “The Smalley Hotel”. Much later it would become known as, “Smalley’s Inn and Restaurant”. It is still one of the United States’ many paranormal hot spots. But that’s still a ways off from James’ time. It is here that I must state that I found conflicting information. The building was either erected in 1833 or it was built by James in 1852. I found both reports.
James was born in 1813 and died in 1867. He was married twice. His second wife, and the wife most relative to the story at hand, was Emily Lyon Phillips Smalley. The first wife was her sister, Harriet.
From today’s sensibilities, that might seem a little callous and uncouth. One might even suggest there may have been an illicit affair between James and Emily before Harriet’s early demise. However, not only is this untrue, but if we go back to those times, this was a standard practice, as it were. The reverse was also common: the widow would marry the brother. It was a way of making sure everyone was cared for.
They, that is James and Emily, had five children: Elizabeth, Emma, Adah, Esperanza (how exotic!), James, and Joseph Brooks. They eventually grew up and presumably led normal lives. Well, not all of them.
James was a man of many talents it would seem. He was a day laborer and bricklayer. According to his obituary on www.findagrave.com, he built many of the walls in the town of Carmel during his day. He was also the leader of the Democratic Party in Putnam County. He also served as its coroner for a time. The basement of Smalley’s Inn is reported to have been a morgue during this time. He also found the time to serve as the sheriff for two terms. At the time of his death, he was serving as county treasurer and on his 3rd term.
James was a man of some renown in the Carmel area and his family was well known. The details of the members of his family are scant and very little information could be found. He operated the Smalley Hotel until 1867 when he passed on.
During the time James Smalley owned the building, it served as a quiet, peaceful stop for travelers and stagecoaches. Its services included dining and sleeping accommodations. The Inn was noted for being welcoming and generally a nice place to stay. It was especially important to the stages that travelled through the area and thus, was a hub of activity and news. This, no doubt, contributed to his prominence in the area.
After James’ death, the hotel changed hands several times. In 1924, the Inn and much of the surrounding town burned and were destroyed. After that, the Hotel was rebuilt. It was eventually parsed up into a few separate commercial lots. These lots are now occupied by the Smalley’s Inn & Restaurant, an insurance company, and a branch of Smith Barney (Morgan Stanely). In 1896, before the fire of 1924, Putnam County National Bank resided within the hotel.
The Death of Elizabeth Smalley
Going back to James and his family, at some point his daughter, Elizabeth Smalley died at the age of just two years old.
This is where one of the enduring mysteries surrounding the Smalley’s starts. A cause of death could not be found and rumors were started much later, after the discovery of bones belonging to a small child were found under the floorboards of the basement stairs in the Smalley Inn. The mystery is: why would such a prominent man bury his child under the boards of his hotel basement and not the cemetery which lay practically a stone’s throw from the building? James was even the coroner at the time. (Repka-Franco) Speculation abounds about this.
This discovery of the bones, being much later, began the custom of attributing certain alleged paranormal happenings to that of the ghost of young Elizabeth. This was compounded by the discovery of Elizabeth’s gravestone which was either also discovered under the stairs in the basement or, as owner Tony Porto Sr. alleges, was purchased from a construction crew and stored in the basement until Halloween when it would be displayed with the other decorations. (Dacquino, 2012)
Reports of Paranormal Activity
There have been many reports of paranormal and ghostly activity associated with the Smalley Inn. In the book, “Hauntings of the Hudson River Valley An Investigative Journey,” author and investigator Vincent T. Dacquino describes some of these. From a haunted mirror to general bumps and voices, the Inn and restaurant seem to be a host for various phenomena.
As has been stated already, some of these goings-on are reported to be the doing of Elizabeth Smalley. These include childlike game-playing and shenanigans. But there are others. There have been disembodied voices heard, guests and staff being touched, and even footsteps in the upstairs areas. A psychic from the local radio station near Carmel came and did a reading of the basement where he claimed that there was a man buried there. That would make two bodies down there, including Elizabeth Smalley.
When questioned by Vincent about why there are ghosts in the Inn, Tony Sr. had this to say:
“I think there is more than one reason…I was told that during the 1700s there were battles near here and they collected bodies and stored them in the basement. There is a cemetery less than a block from here. They stored them here until the holes were dug. Their spirits are trapped here. For whatever reason, they didn’t leave here.” (Dacquino 41)
At first glance, some may have noticed a discrepancy in the timing of ownership and construction. That’s because there is. During my research, I found a couple of stories. First was that the building was erected in 1833 and James Smalley bought it. Second was that James built the place. But, according to Tony Sr., it would have been standing in the 1700s, presumably during the American Revolution. This is due to him mentioning Revolutionary bodies being stored in the basement at that time. I did not come across this particular story in my research. Perhaps this was some oral family history or local lore seeping into the mix.
The official book account states that: “The hotel that became Smalley’s was built in 1833 by Thomas Taylor, who was born in Jamaica, Long Island, in 1784. Taylor died on August 1, 1865, at the age of eighty. James Smalley took it over in 1852. In 1867, according to the Reporter Dispatch article, it burned, and then again in 1924; it burned again in October of 1974.” (Dacquino 44)
In my opinion, this seems to be an accurate timeline, as it is backed up by some proof in the form of the aforementioned Reporter Dispatch article. Later in that section, Tony, Sr. agreed.
That’s part of the fun about these things: hearing multiple accounts, sifting facts from stories, and choosing what to believe. Because that’s what the paranormal comes down to; belief. One cannot be told whether spirits are real or imagined. In the end, we must decide.
Are the stories of Elizabeth running around, the footsteps, the disembodied voices, and the Revolutionary War soldiers true? Well, I won’t tell you. That’s your call.
Left: Tony Porto, Sr. celebrates his 80th birthday. Photo credit: Carmel, New York Facebook Page. Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/Carmel.NY
Tony’s Account
In his book, Vincent T. Dacquino recalls an event that happened to owner Anthony “Tony” Porto Sr. on one night in 1994.
“It happened to me before the radio stations started coming here with their equipment. I believe it was in 1994, July or August. I know it was summer because it was air-conditioned down here and at four o’ clock a.m., when I closed the bar to go upstairs, it was getting warmer and warmer with each step up. I have a one-room apartment upstairs where I live. I have a large California bed in there with mirrors on the ceiling…” (Dacquino 39)
He goes on to describe getting into bed and going over the next day's agenda.
“I wasn’t in bed for more than five seconds when I felt a coolness come into the room. I said ‘Wow, I must have left the bathroom window open. There’s a nice breeze coming in from the lake and I’m going to sleep like a baby.’ Three seconds later, my left leg moved down on the mattress. It moved down like when someone sits next to you on the couch. My heart went right into my throat. I froze like an opossum and couldn’t move. I thought I was getting robbed. I imagined that someone had come up from the fire escape, which we’ve since removed, on the other building and came across to my window. I wanted to say ‘I didn’t hear you come in through the window. I didn’t hear you come up to my bed. Rob me. Go back outside and leave me alone. I don’t care what you take.’ My heart was beating a hundred miles an hour…[sic]”. (Dacquino 40)
After feeling someone climb into bed with him. Tony then describes feeling the weight on the other side of the mattress sink as it would if a partner had laid down. He finally had enough and jumped out of bed to confront what he thought was a robber. His fear increased when he realized that no one was in the bed.
“I jumped out of the bed and bounced onto the floor, but jumped right back up again. I looked up into the ceiling mirror: no one was in the room with me. I froze. The indent was still in my bed and on the pillow but no one was there. My adrenaline was so high that I couldn't stay still. I was going to turn and run but as I turned, I looked at the bathroom window; it was closed!…” (Dacquino 40)
He explained that the bedroom window wasn’t open either. He says that he wasn’t dreaming and wasn’t sleeping. He hadn’t had enough time to go to sleep. He hadn’t been in the room long enough.
“I stood there waiting, but nothing else happened. I was exhausted now and just climbed slowly back into the bed. This time I laid down face up. I lay there awake almost all night. I couldn’t have gotten more than ten minutes’ sleep.” (Dacquino 40)
Right: Mirror behind the bar at Smalley’s Inn. Courtesy of Yelp. Photo credit: Karen L.
The Haunted Mirror
Hanging on the wall over the bar is a truly massive mirror.
It was made in Paris, or so it is believed, in 1852. Its frame is mahogany and it measures ten feet long (wide) and forty inches tall (height). It weighs roughly over 400 pounds. It was briefly moved to the home of James’ son, Joseph Smalley after the fire in 1924. (Dacquino 40)
It is not certain when it was moved back into the Inn. But it has been hanging there at least since the 1950s when the current owners took over. Ever since then, however, people say that you can sometimes see the faces of the departed looking back at you.
Some of the apparitions in the mirror include a pair of baby shoes dangling in the top of the mirror and one person (investigator Karen Darby) claims to have even seen the apparition of a fetus. They said that they felt as though they had been contacted by a mother who lost her child, either through tragedy or choice. (Dacquino 38)
Left: Smalley's Inn & Restaurant. Courtesy of Wikipedia. Photo Credit: User Anthony22.
Closure
These days, after 55 years of the current ownership and management, Smalley’s Inn is closed. According to Tony Sr., they shuttered their doors on January 15th, 2020 due to financial and health concerns.
“After 55-plus years in the community, we made the difficult decision to suspend operations and announce the closure of Smalley’s Inn…We wanted to keep our doors open longer, but health and finances dictated differently.” Anthony is quoted as saying. (Muchnick)
If you look up the inn on Google, you’ll find the stories, the history, and the ghosts. If you go to YouTube you will find a scant few investigative videos and some short news spots. If you go to the locals, I’m sure you will find no end of legend and folklore. That’s the beauty of places like this. They may be gone, but they won’t soon be forgotten. Much like the spirits rumored to linger there.
No patrons are eating, drinking, or carrying on at the bar and the staff has gone home for good, but if the legends are true, it isn’t exactly empty.
Sources:
Dacquino, Vincent T. Hauntings of the Hudson River Valley: An Investigative Journey. 5th ed., Haunted America, 2012. pp. 38-44.
Muchnick, Jeanne. "After Five Decades in Business, Smalley's Inn in Carmel Closes." Lohud, 15 Jan. 2020, www.lohud.com/story/life/food/restaurants/2020/01/15/smalleys-inn-carmel-restaurant-closes/4476112002/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2024.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/144857744/james-j-smalley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalley%27s_Inn_%26_Restaurant
https://classicnewyorkhistory.com/ghosts-and-good-times-at-the-carmel-new-york-smalley-inn/
Repka-Franco, Virginia. "History, Ghosts and Good Times at the Carmel New York Smalley Inn." ClassicNewYorkHistory,Com, 1 Jan. 2019, classicnewyorkhistory.com/ghosts-and-good-times-at-the-carmel-new-york-smalley-inn/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2024.
Sosa, Jonathan. "New York Lore: Smalley's Inn-Patrons Both Living and Otherwise." Brewster Bear Facts, 3 May 2019, www.brewsterbearfacts.com/news/community-news/new-york-lore-smalleys-inn-patrons-both-living-and-otherwise/#. Accessed 15 Jan. 2024.
